Aftermath
by A Waifuless Weeb
Summary: It takes a single bad day to scar a trainer for life.
1. Chapter 1

Cyrus died. The initial outrage of the devil Pokémon had slain him and his team in an instant, leaving a champion and a trainer face to face with the incarnation of evil.

Everything would be fine.

Whenever Cynthia sent out her Garchomp, there was no need to worry. This beastly dragon was unmatched in strength, the embodiment of power in Sinnoh, capable of feats most could only dream of achieving. She had seen it sweep through teams, crush its opposition with a brutality and efficiency worthy of the title of Champion. This Garchomp was this entire region's trump card, the final bastion to defend them.

Everything should've been fine.

When the dragon fell limply on the ground, scarred, bleeding and unconscious, without so much as having laid a dent on the enemy, what was a trainer to do but panic as they became the next target. Every trainer knew there was no shame in running. When faced with overwhelming adversity, run, gather your thoughts and try once more tomorrow. What were you to do when that dawn would never come?

A somber sleep awaited them. The bell had chimed.

Reina was terrified.

An adventure that had began in whimsy with a simple goal and simpler days, abruptly cut, torn to shreds just like Garchomp before.

The trainer scampered away, even in her doubts running would ever work. Her instincts guided her away, Cynthia not far behind. They had to get away. Away from the odds, away from their mistake, away from their roles as heroes.

Away from Giratina.

Nothing was fine.

A mere trainer, no matter their title, couldn't hope to compete against forces of nature, controllers of abstract designs, the very foundation of the world they lived. Such foolishness was merely rewarded by a swift death and yet the crazed leader of Team Galactic challenged this fact. Thrust into a world of nothing by a creature of nothing, he stared it in the eyes to his final breath thinking himself better. His legacy now nothing more than an angry deity with its sights set on the two who tried to stop him.

They couldn't do anything! They were going to die! A scream of terror came to her lips. Why had she ever wanted to go on such a journey? Her parents had warned her, they had worried for her and now their only reward for their stubborn daughter would be a coffin and no body to ever retrieve. She had just wanted to feel free, free of a life of routine and live every day without knowing what would come to pass in it. She wanted to face hardships she could learn from and move on from with better knowledge of herself, her strengths her weaknesses, everything!

Giratina roared.

Not this...

When Cynthia had talked about Team Galactic, they had just sounded like a bunch of harmless goofballs. She hadn't minded helping her deal with them in Eterna or even Veilstone as she continued her trek through Sinnoh for the badges... But before she knew it, Cynthia had extended a hand to ask for her help, she had saved the lake guardians and she came up to the embodiments of time and space themselves. All the while going with what the champion told her as her thoughts, a rush of adrenaline acting as her body. She couldn't say no to the other woman and this was the outcome.

Cynthia called out her Togekiss and extended a hand towards the other trainer. Reina took it without a second thought and the two flew around, desperately searching for a way out. Behind this wall, this waterfall, this pillar? Nothing. All the while Giratina chased after them relentlessly, its sole purpose to slay the intruders. Rocks floated around the mythical being, throwing themselves at the trainers one after another.

A scream resonated in Reina's ears. "Ultra..." Was it?

A boulder rammed mercilessly into Togekiss, making the Pokémon lose the rhythm of its wingbeats. The trio came crashing down to the ground. Togekiss, in a last-ditch effort, shielded the trainers with its body as they fell to the earth. The air was knocked out of Reina's lungs upon impact. She rolled on the floor alongside Cynthia, covering her head with her hands in an instinctual manner. She heard a crack, a bone. Her panic intensified even further. Which one was it? Her body ached all over, she couldn't tell. No matter. Now that they had lost another one of Cynthia's Pokémon, they had to run once more, a task Reina resumed immediately upon getting her bearings back, even a bit beforehand.

Another scream. "Distract..."

With its preys downed, Giratina approached them far too quickly for them to escape. The trainer's breaths became more ragged, the movement of her legs faster and faster. She was afraid of so much as looking back to see where everything was compared to her. She just had to get away, get away, get away!

She tripped.

The world stopped.

It was an eternity where Reina could do nothing but watch herself fall helplessly, her body paralysed. She could hear the champion's yelp at the event. Her very breath caught in her throat. Then, she came crashing down to the ground, her nose breaking on impact. A pain attempted to flare through her body to no avail. The adrenaline circulating through her veins quelled the suffering. Out of breath and out of a footing, the champion got behind the trainer and starting rummaging through Reina's bag.

When she found what she wanted, Cynthia threw it at Giratina. An ultra ball.

The screams from earlier now made sense.

Such a flimsy device had no hope of containing the mythical being for long but it did buy them some time.

During that second of respite, Reina found what bone had been broken. It was the other woman's right arm.

Reina got forcibly got put back onto her feet. Cynthia said something again but Reina proved too dazed to understand. Instead the blonde pointed in a direction which, in the distance, had the portal Giratina originally created to get to Spear Pillar.

The Pokémon broke free. Cynthia lost no time and immediately threw another ball at it with her left hand.

"Go!"

The order had the two resume their run. Now with a clear objective has to where she was going, Reina was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Giratina broke free once more. This time, Reina knew what to do and tossed a Dusk Ball. As the light of the device surrounded the creator of Antimatter, an ear-piercing shriek of annoyance travelled all across the distortion world.

Only a little more!

The two ran up pillars, swam through waterfalls and leaped over ceilings, etching ever closer to this getaway. Giratina, however, had other intentions. The being stood high and mighty over the portal, preventing them access to it and slowly closing it. Immediately, Reina began foraging through her bag for another ball, any would do. Unfortunately, the Pokémon had caught on. It twisted its wicked body, its tail crashing into the trainer who lost her footing on the platform they were on, helplessly falling down into the abyss of eternal nothing, her only reaction a mere blink on a stunned face as she attempted to process what had just happened. She overheard another cry.

"NO!"

The following happened in the blink of an eye. The trainer had no time to understand. Her Pokémon, who she had kept tucked in his ball since the confrontation with Cyrus bursted out with a roar of might equal to Giratina.

Hydreigon...

The flying dragon swooped under his trainer, catching her in her fall. He saw her condition and grunted in anger. The flight to the platform was swift. The three-headed beast scanned the situation, his eyes first resting on Cynthia then Giratina who bore a hole in his brethren dragon with his eyes. That second was all he needed to understand.

Hydreigon dropped his trainer off with the champion, a head on her while the others started charging an attack at Giratina. A ball of dark energy went careening towards Giratina.

Who effortlessly knocked it away.

Hydreigon had no chance.

The portal was closing, it was protected by an enemy too powerful, the trainers were extremely injured and catching it was out of the equation.

It was under these factors the dragon made a split-second decision.

With two of his mouths, he snatched the humans' collars, lifting them into the air. Then he charged at the stronger being, their bodies colliding. Giratina charged its own ball of energy and threw it at the third head. Pain surged through the Pokemon but he ignored it. With the mythical so close, he now had a clear shot and that was precisely what he wanted.

He threw the two trainers into the portal and safely back at Spear Pillar.

The two rolled on the ground back into their own world.

It was then Reina finally understood everything that had happened. She got back on her feet and watched her Pokémon through the portal. The dragon gave her both a smirk and a smile, telling her everything would be fine.

"No... no, no, No, No, NO!"

She searched everywhere for the dragon's ball to call him back home but it had already been broken...

"You can't do this to me!"

Reina, in her panic, dropped her bad on the floor, its content spilling over on the floor. She tried to find another to use tip catch him once more but again, unfortunately, she had used them all on Giratina. Short on options, she weakly extended a hand outward.

"HYDRA!"

The dragon closed his eyes

The portal closed.

Broken and battered, Reina let out a soul crushing scream. Her legs failed her and tears swelled up in her eyes. A person's left arm wrapped itself around her.

The trainer blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

When Reina came to, she was in a hospital bed.

Her instincts kicked back in and looked everywhere for the draconic ghost, the sound of her alarmed breaths only eclipsed by the rapid beating of her heart. It couldn't be over yet! What had happened to Cynthia? Where was he?

Where was Hydreigon?

A nurse came into the room. Reina's attention was immediately on him. She tattled her hip in search of the usual ball to throw at him, her stare feral. The man raised his hands up in the air and stayed at the end of the room, next to the door. He gave her all the space she needed to calm down. Thankfully, once she realized he was human, she did just that. Instead her attention went back to checking her surroundings for Giratina.

"There's no need to worry." Came the nurse's reassuring voice. "It's back in its own world now. Nobody will attack you."

She didn't trust him. She didn't want to trust him. He hadn't seen what she had. The Distortion World seemed like a quiet, peaceful place like this but eventually, that atrocity came and attacked them. The lake guardians had failed to save them, what could a small man like him even hope to accomplish?

A heavy silence reigned in the room, only occasionally broken by the sound of a heartbeat monitor and wheels scurrying on the floor in the main hallway. No cries, no screams and certainly no Pokemon. A minute lingered through the air, crawling down the passage of time to a snail's pace. A minute of absolute stillness. Nothing.

The man was telling the truth. Her memories came out in clearer detail. When she had blacked out they were in Spear Pillar. He must have thrown them out to save them. He had figured his trainer's life was more important than his three.

Her heart ached. A snarl of disgust came to her. She had failed him. After all the time they had spent together, all these promises they had made... She couldn't even do anything as he threw himself against an immovable force. A yell of frustration came from deep within herself, dying down in her throat. She sat back down on the bed, tears welled up in her eyes once more. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, the fabric of her gown twisting itself against her fingers. She was doing her best not to cry, an occasional sob breaking through her barriers.

"While you were out, we fixed your nose. You still have a few smaller wounds but they'll scar by themselves with time. We expect you'll make a full recovery from this event."

The information came into one ear and right out of the other one. Details like this were the least of the trainer's concern. She chocked on a sob and sniffed her nose ungracefully.

"The champion, Cynthia, is fine as well. She's resting in the room next to you. She said she wanted to see how you were doing once you woke up." He attempted.

The message had the intended effect and Reina turned her green eyes to look at the man. They were bloodshot and brimming with tears but he could still see the glimmer that had found itself in. It made him smile.

"If you want, I can show you there."

She nodded. It was the least she could do. Cynthia... Cynthia was the other reason she was still alive. If it weren't from the champion's decision, Giratina would have caught up to them. She got back up on her feet, her head cast down, her ebony hair veiling her expression, approaching the nurse slowly, like a wild animal being enticed into a trap by food. The man didn't see anything, keeping an easy smile as he opened the door for the girl. The hallway was devoid of life. White, cold, eerie. Reina looked around quietly, hoping she would see a familiar face.

"We've informed your parents. They're on their way to the city." The man explained in a leveled, professional tone. He seemed more confident, like he was back in more familiar territory. Again, all the trainer could muster was a small nod. "Ms. Shirona is there." He pointed to the door to the left of hers. "I'll leave you to by yourselves. If there's anything, there's a buzzer next to her bed you can press. I'll come running."

The trainer entered the room.

Cynthia was in her bed, reading a hefty looking document, most likely a mythology thesis by one of her compatriots on the domain. The blonde champion averted her eyes from the words to focus her attention on the newcomer. A somber smile she attempted to make welcoming graced her lips. She was wearing a cast on her right arm. Under her stare, welcoming or otherwise, Reina looked and felt frailer than ever before.

There was a chair next to the woman. Reina slowly trudged towards it and collapsed into it. Then and only then did she notice Garchomp in the corner of the room who was quietly looking over them as well. The dragon's left fin was missing a chunk and a long scar had formed on his scalp. A severe scowl was on the Pokemon.

The silence was palpable. Reina wanted to say something, Cynthia wanted to let her begin. How could the champion even smile after the Distortion World? The ebony-haired girl looked away, ashamed of herself.

"How are you?" She muttered barely above a whisper, her eyes focused on anything but the champion.

"I'm fine." Cynthia replied, bobbing a bit to try and catch a glimpse of the other's evasive looks, ultimately failing to do so.

The silence returned, broken only by Garchomp's loud breathing. Regina's visage contorted in pain hesitant to talk, hesitant to act. What could she ever hope to say or even do? Back there, she hadn't been any help at all. Cynthia was the sole reason they were standing there. She knew it so well. It was agony reminding herself of that and yet the thought always came to the forefront of her mind, acting as a blanket over fact. A pain stabbed at her chest and her right arm, painful reminders of what the champion must've been feeling yet kept to herself, keeping that facade of bravery and selflessness. Was it even a facade? What was the trainer supposed to think?

"I'm sorry."

It made sense to say, after all, apologizing was always the first step to forgiveness. If her words failed her this was the closest second option. It had been what Reina had wanted to say.

And yet nothing had came from her.

"I'm sorry I got you involved in this." Cynthia reiterated. "As the champion of Sinnoh, I should've been able to handle this by myself and yet I requested for you to help me. Because of me you've seen things you never should have." Her smile was gone. Her words were filled with regret. Reina stared at her incredulously. "I hope you'll find it in yourself to forgive me."

A lump formed in the girl's throat, choking her answer. Why? Why did she have to say that? A weak sob came from the trainer. Once more, her eyes glimmered under the dull light of the neon hanging overhead, her tears battling to be unleashed once more.

"And…" Cynthia resumed, lowly, apologetically. "I'm sorry about Hydra…"

Those words. The ones she dreaded, the reality she feared to confront still. Reina got back on her feet weakly only to collapse into the champion. She hugged the older woman, desperate for comfort as she bawled. Like a torrent that had been accumulating against a barrier, everything had broken down and all these pent-up emotions came out at once. In that instant, they both knew there was no consoling her. Cynthia hugged back solemnly, silent. It was a grim realisation that the blonde refused to admit herself, however, it was apparent the longer this moment lingered.

Reina had died that day.


	3. Chapter 3

A cry resounded in the woods close to Reina's home, an uncommon one. The woman recognised it quickly. As if possessed by this urge to sate her curiosity, she got up from where she had been seated and headed out, the friend she had been with in tow.

It was a Deino, just as she had surmised. The poor critter seemed lost and confused. His cries reverberated louder and louder as a Zebstrika rammed its heavier body against the small dragon once more. The girl's heart swelled at the sight.

Lightning was shooting out the larger Pokémon in all directions. He was livid.

"It must be his territory." Reina commented, biting on her lower lip, hesitant on what to do.

It was common knowledge Deinos lacked sight. Seemed like this one had wandered in his quest for food and stepped into a larger predator's turf. So, the cries they had heard were of panic. Unable to fight of the stronger threat, Deino had attempted to intimidate him. The draconic critter already had scars marring his skin and with each renewed assault, another formed.

Reina stood still. While her body screamed for her to go help, she knew she would not only do nothing to help the situation but only endanger herself in the process. Pokémon wildlife was nothing like her parents had pretended back she was younger. Sights like these are the reason why she was grateful she never left on a journey like so many other kids. Thankfully, at least she could stomach it now.

When a vicious tackle rammed Deino into a nearby tree, Reina nearly jumped out once more.

A beam of light blinded her. She covered her eyes until it died down. The Zebstrika averted his stare from the dragon to glare at the newcomers, several more bolts of lightning splintering the bark of the nearby greenery.

Out of this beam came a Decidueye.

Graham.

If she had been unable to take action, her friend jumped at the opportunity. Graham, unlike her, had already trained a few Pokémon. He could deal with the electric zebra.

The bolts conglomerated together into a larger whole aimed straight for the ghostly owl. Without a word shared between trainer and pocket monster, Decidueye weaved around the attack, all the while nocking an energy arrow to its makeshift bow of a wing. Confident in his aim, the grass starter shot and found his mark squarely on the beast's snout. Zebstrika recoiled back from the attack. The overwhelming pain that came over him had his instincts kick in and the large predator left the area without further resistance, leaving the three newcomers alone with the wounded Deino. The girl sighed in relief.

"Thanks a lot, Graham." She said to her friend who merely shrugged the act off.

"It's a common sight on a journey, I'm used to it. Don't mention it." He replied nonchalantly.

Deino cried out once more, in hopes of scaring them. This had the two humans avert their attention back to him.

He was too wounded to flee. If they left him alone, it was obvious he'd die, something Reina would never forgive herself for letting happen. Confident the danger was gone, she approached the dragon. Two steps later, however, a hand had taken hold of her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

"He's panicked and dangerous." Graham said. "Let me and my partner handle it. Better us than someone with no Pokémon to defend herself."

Reina looked down to the ground, then, mustering her determination, she pried herself free.

"If you catch him and send him to the center, it might just aggravate his panic and worsen the situation... Maybe they'll even put him down. Trust me, I might not have one to protect me but he's weakened and likely exhausted, I can deal with him. I'm his best hope right now, I'm sure of it!"

Graham looked away, tapping the tip of his toes to the ground. He could think of a thousand ways this would turn out poorly yet the words died in his throat.

"Whatever you say, professor." He conceded. Reina smiled gratefully and closed most of the distance remaining between herself and Deino until there were roughly two meters left between them.

At this instant, the noise of the forest died down, like nothing more than a painting of itself, the land stood still. Deino's growls became less common and eventually disappeared almost entirely. This simple process had taken several minutes but it seemed he was finally calm enough for her to act although he was still shaking from fear on occasion.

Only when the complete silence lingered did Deino raise his head in search of noises to position himself better.

Finally, it was the student's time to approach. She did so not in silence but rather making explicitly sure that the wild animal could hear her shuffling. She continued doing so until they were a meter apart. Deino let her do it. As planned, he was completely aware she was there but the steady, slow sound of her approach didn't scare him anymore. Reina extended her hand towards the snout of the beast in order for him to scent and identify her. The Pokemon did as expected and sniffed the outstretched hand, learning then that whoever this was was indeed, alive.

And true to a Deino's nature, he instantly snatched the hand in his jaw, biting it mercilessly.

Reina suppressed her yelp of pain. Her whole body shook as a jolt coursed through her and her brain screamed to pull back instinctually. Graham took a step forward to intervene. He knew this hadn't been a good idea.

"I'm fine." The girl declared in a calm yet authoritative voice. Graham hesitated. "A Deino tackles and bites everything that moves. It's the closest thing they have to a defense mechanism in the wild to compensate for their blindness. He's just doing as he knows."

The bite was weak. Weaker than it should be on a Deino. It meant this one was either exhausted, as she had believed, or still just a baby. In light of this, Reina conceived of how she could calm the dragon completely. When Deinos fail to threaten and defeat their foe in the wild, they would try to run away to avoid direct confrontation, wounded or otherwise. It was during this time they would be the least hostile and thus, the perfect opportunity to supress them. There's one thing that such an irate critter respected.

Power.

Meaning the best way to keep this Deino under check was equally simple.

Asserting dominance.

Upon realising his bite had been anything but lethal, the Pokémon moved on to the expected plan b of his tactical retreat. Trickles of blood were falling from Reina's wrist, a fact she paid no mind to. She jumped the little dragon, crashing her entire weight unto his tiny frame, wrapping her arms around his neck to prevent further wanton biting. The beast flailed in her arms, struggling to get out and crying out in another vague attempt to intimidate her. The student held fast, occasionally getting stunned as the critter's head crashed into her own yet never fully breaking her hold. Graham looked at the interaction with bathed breaths. Decidueye nocked another arrow but his trainer lowered the wing to the ground.

Thankfully, shortly after, Deino calmed down in Reina's arms, beaten. A satisfied grin formed on her lips. She heaved him into her arms and headed towards Graham.

"We should get him something to eat. Poor critter's starving." She said. The average weight of a Deino was around 10 kilograms and yet this one felt even lighter.

"Is this really what they teach professors these days?" Graham asked. "Or do you just have no sense of self-preservation?"

The student huffed and went on ahead of the other two. The man decided to let the ghostly owl out a while longer as extra insurance.

Once they made it to her backyard, the trainer headed into her house to get some Pokémon food while Decidueye and her stayed with Deino who occasionally wailed in her arms in an attempt to leave to no avail.

Once Graham came back out of her house, he had brought food, a potion and a first aid kit. Reina walked towards him. When she was a meter away, she lowered Deino to the ground and to his side, one hand wrapped around his neck to prevent his escape and the other taking some of the food. Her hand inched closer to the critter's mouth who recognized the smell of the one that had just bested him.

"Here you go, little guy. Eat up!" Reina said, dropping the meal right before the Pokémon for him to take. Once he understood what it was, he silently went about eating, all the fight now having left him.

With full confidence he would no longer attack them, the student released her hold on Deino who got back on his feet. Reina took the rest of the food that she had been given and placed it before him. He obediently ate without causing a scene.

Reina beamed, positively delighted with herself.

"You did good." Graham praised. He called back Decidueye, now just as confident Deino wouldn't hurt them. "Didn't even need a Pokémon too."

A nod came in response. Reina crouched back down to observe Deino as he was eating. She had already noticed the scars beforehand, a common sight on these little dragons, but otherwise, this one seemed perfectly healthy if not a little thin. She was just glad they acted in time.

The critter cooed, satisfied. He listened to his surroundings. Once more, the girl approached his snout with her hand. This time, he didn't bite. A smile formed on her lips and she closed the rest of the distance, petting the animal on the head. He practically purred under the soft touch.

"They can be pretty cute when they're not hostile." Graham noted as he handed her a potion as well as the kit. The student took them and did her best to mend the wounds. The instant lingered through time. He chuckled. "It's quite the treatment you're offering him, professor. Are you like this with every wild Pokémon?"

Reina blushed lightly, looking into the distance, but remained silent. He shook his head.

"What's his nickname going to be, then?"

She gave it a minute of thought.

"Hydra!"


End file.
